The Gregoris Afxentiou SAGA

On 16 March 1956 an ambush was laid, on orders by Dighenis, at Handria, on the Handria – Agros road near Agridhia, against two landrovers and a civilian car which resulted in a number of dead and injured British soldiers. The weapon of Christos Chartas (Yangoulas) misfired. While the group was withdrawing Christos Chartas was fatally injured without this being noticed by the group. When they met at Potamitissa and saw that Christos was missing, they were under the illusion that he might have gone to his village. On Saturday the group stayed in the house of Panayiotis Vasiliou at Ayios Ioannis Agrou. In the evening, Afxentiou went to the house of Papakostis in Ayios Theodoros, where he was informed by the priest about the tragic event and Afxentiou ordered that the group should leave immediately for the Papoutsa hideout. Information about their hideout was disclosed to the British and as they approached the Papoutsa hideout Afxentiou headed for the Aetopholia locality and moved to Macheras stopping on the way at Pharmakas, the old village of Apliki. On 26 March 1956 he moved to Kionia where he stayed for two months. They were helped by forester Christodoulos. Food was brought to the hideout by the Monastery shepherd Petros Philippou. The group now numbered nineteen guerillas. Abbot Irineos was a close supporter. “Aris” in the monastery and during his visits to the surrounding villages wore a clerical robe and his name was father Chrysanthos. During his stay at Kionia, the group was joined with Stylianos Lenas. On 29 April 1956 he underwent an operation for appendicitis in Limassol in the clinic of doctor Nicos Anastasiades. On 21 May on instructions by Afxentiou – who continued to stay at the Monastery for convalescence – the group was split into two. One group with Stylianos Lenas and Nicos Spanos went to Lefkara to lay an ambush and the other with Giorgos Matsis moved to Palechori also to lay an ambush. In the meantime, however, they had received a message from Afxentiou that any activity should be called off and the two groups should meet at Fterikoudi, move to Lagoudera and wait for instructions because there had been information about their presence at Macheras. He himself even though he had been recently operated on moved with them to Katanaptis mountain above Lagoudera. Accompanied by Lambros Kafkarides, who was familiar with the area and the footpaths, Afxentiou visited many villages of the area. In mid-June 1956, he left Macheras and headed for Palechori, Ayios Theodoros, Kalo Chorio, Zoopigi, where he stayed in the house of Minas Mina. Dighenis for the better protection of the guerillas divided the Pitsilia sector into three sub-sectors. He assigned the leadership of the first to Giorgos Matsis, the second to Stylianos Lenas and the third to Nicos Spanos. He specified the Palechori – Agros – Zoopigi and Palechori – Macheras areas as field of activities of Gregoris Afxentiou who took up also the coordination of the leaders of the sub-sectors. In September 1956, while at Palechori he planned a General Operation for the sub-sectors. On 12 September, while he was at Lagoudera, he was joined by his friend Antonis Papadopoulos, who had escaped from the Pyla detention camp on 8 September 1956. The following day, 13 September, together with Antonis Papadopoulos,he moved to Agros, to the house